Our Team

We possess the right experience, the right skills, the right access and the right attitude. More than any standard public relations plan, our team approach has proven most effective toward delivering advantageous results.

We’re ready for you. Are you ready for us?

Kathy King

Kathy King brings more than 15 years of media relations experience to Westin Rinehart’s Reputation Management team. A former broadcast journalist, Ms. King was a weeknight news anchor and reporter at television stations in Mobile, Alabama and northern Michigan and previously worked as an anchor, reporter and producer in Lubbock, Texas. She has covered local and state governments, federal trials, homeland security issues, medical and consumer news and numerous political campaigns.

Some of her more memorable reporting assignments include reporting the tragic 1993 Amtrak rail accident in Alabama, the pagentry of the 1993 Republican National Convention in Houston and the exhiliration of pulling 7G’s while flying with the U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels.

Ms. King has published several articles for various lifestyle magazines and has worked as a media columnist, a television media consultant and as a guest lecturer at Texas Tech University and the University of South Alabama.

A native of Dallas, Ms. King earned an honors degree in journalism from the University of Texas.

Monique Peeler

A native of Buffalo, N.Y., Monique Peeler is a recent graduate of William Smith College as an Africana Studies and English Literature dual major. Monique recently spent five months in South Africa studying at the University of the Western Cape, and she currently volunteers with the Ithemba Foundation.

During her undergraduate studies, she interned with Adelphia Communications through the Emma L. Bowen Foundation for Minority Interest in Media and the Erie County District Attorney’s Office in the Domestic Violence Unit. An avid reader and writer, Monique enjoys writing short stories, plays and creative non- fiction. Monique has a growing interest in Public Relations, International Affairs, International Women’s rights, Multiculturalism and all things Toni Morrison.

Sherry Dishman

Sherry Dishman has provided thorough business management services to a number of private and public companies before joining Westin Rinehart. A native of Washington, D.C., Ms. Dishman most recently worked with the federal Transportation Security Administration as a procurement liaison. She has also worked in the D.C. Mayor’s Office of the Chief Financial Officer as a communications specialist responsible for producing several internal publications.

She gained additional public relations and marketing skills while working for two private businesses in the Capital area. A communications arts graduate of Howard University, Ms. Dishman has extensive video and film production experience as well.

She retains a key interest in fashion and merchandising and considers herself an avid movie fan.

Sonja Olson

Sonja Olson joined the Westin Rinehart Group in the Spring of 2005 as an associate in the PYT Division and brings with her a vast knowledge of strategic communication and the youth market.

Prior to joining Westin Rinehart, Ms. Olson was a communications intern for the Baltimore Orioles where she worked extensively on their special events and children’s programs. She has previously interned with the Baltimore Bayhawks and the London Towers where she focused on media relations and community outreach initiatives. Ms. Olson also spent time as a volunteer for Girls Incorporated of Central New York.

Alexander Cochran

For more than two decades, Alexander Cochran has immersed himself in the urban issues affecting U.S. cities. As the President & Chief Operating Officer of the firm, Mr. Cochran’s experience qualifies him as a chief liaison to America’s mayors.

Mr. Cochran, a member of both the California and Maryland bar associations, began forging relationships with the chief executives of the nation’s cities while serving as a senior advisor to then U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Andrew Cuomo (current attorney general of the state of New York), implementing HUD’s urban policy, program and management reforms and drafting new legislative proposals. Previously, Mr. Cochran also worked for Dewey Square Group as a principal focusing on issue advocacy and business development. While there, Mr. Cochran helped launch United for Science Progress, a public/private partnership between DuPont and the U.S. Conference of Mayors which promotes science and math careers to schoolchildren.

In addition to leading all of Westin Rinehart’s government relations activities, Mr. Cochran is also the managing editor of BattleGround, the firm’s weekly on-line newsletter and political web log.

Mr. Cochran is a graduate of both the University of Georgia and the Southwestern University School of Law. He is an active with several non-profit groups that advocate further awareness of childhood lead poisoning. He is married to Teresa Cochran and they have two sons, Jac and Colm Cochran

Tony Ninan

Tony Ninan is an aggressive marketing specialist with a strong background in client service, international and domestic sales.

Mr. Ninan has implemented diverse marketing plans, managed program budgets and developed his own line of collegiate novelty products through his own company NIMA International, Inc.

Clients with whom Mr. Ninan has worked previously include Metronix, Inc. and Southwest Airlines. A Florida native, Mr. Ninan is a graduate of the University of South Florida.

Audrey Pinn

Audrey Pinn joined the Westin Rinehart as an associate in the summer of 2004. A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Johns Hopkins University, Ms. Pinn offers clients extensive knowledge of American politics and governmental affairs. Her responsibilities at Westin Rinehart include implementing media relations and corporate reputation plans for various corporate and political clients.

Prior to joining the Westin Rinehart, Audrey interned in U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s Capitol Hill office and at the senator’s New York City office. She has also interned for the New York League of Conservation Voters/Westchester.

Morris L. Reid has worked with high-profile individuals, government officials and corporate executives in the successful resolution of complex and high-level political and corporate issues for more than 15 years. As the Managing Director of Westin Rinehart, Mr. Reid has consulted and provided counsel to the leaders of hundreds of Fortune 500 companies and as a Clinton administration senior staff aide to the late Commerce Secretary Ronald Brown and Housing Secretary Andrew Cuomo. Reid was also director of Vice President Al Gore’s office at the 1996 Democratic Convention and Deputy Director of Vice Presidential Operation for Clinton/Gore ’96.

He is adept at fostering business development programs and specializes in launching partnerships that meld brand building, coalition advocacy and effective public affairs/issue management.

Mr. Reid is frequently used as an expert political and business marketing commentator on many leading television news networks including FOX News, ABC News, CNN, CNBC and MSNBC and leading newspapers and magazines including the New York Times, USA Today, Details and Forbes magazines. Mr. Reid is also the publisher and editor-in-chief of BattleGround, a weekly online newsletter that provides grass-roots analysis and perspective on national political trends and issues.

An Ohio native, Mr. Reid is a graduate of Akron University and prior to establishing the Westin Rinehart Group, he served as a Principal at Dewey Square Group. He serves on the boards of The Washington Ballet, VH1 Save the Music Foundation and New York University’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service.

Alonza Robertson

Alonza Robertson is a media relations specialist with more than 18 years of professional public relations and journalism experience. Mr. Robertson has successfully placed hundreds of clients and client issues in strategic print publications, television and radio broadcasts during political, crisis and issue-related public affair campaigns.

Prior to his public relations career, Mr. Robertson worked as a newspaper journalist covering district and federal courts, public safety, housing and urban development issues at the Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Knight-Ridder Newspapers, Washington Bureau; San Francisco Chronicle, The Tampa Tribune, The St. Petersburg Times and Las Vegas Review Journal. He also has written for numerous weekly newspapers and regional magazines. Mr. Robertson has also won awards for his journalism and public relations work from the International Association of Business Communicators, the Society of Professional Journalists, Scripps Howard Foundation and the Gannett Foundation.

Mr. Robertson grew up in Tampa, is an alumnus of Howard University and is a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc.

Sidney A. Wolf

Sidney Wolf has developed a growing expertise of political and issues management experience through his current Westin Rinehart client work and through his political experience gained on Capitol Hill working for U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer and Rep. Jerry Costello on housing, banking and social policy initiatives.

A graduate of Syracuse University, Mr. Wolf worked during college as a grant writer for the Syracuse Housing Authority and as a district office volunteer for New York state Assemblyman Hal Brown Jr. A St. Louis native, he is also served as a field director, grassroots and campaign organizer for several state and federal political candidates including Missouri state Rep. Sam Page.

At Westin Rinehart, Mr. Wolf works extensively on grassroots/grass tops advocacy projects for both public agencies and private companies. He is also the assistant editor of Westin Rinehart’s political newsletter BattleGround.

Charles Small

Charles Small brings a vast knowledge of several levels of government to Westin Rinehart. Prior to joining our organization, Mr. Small worked for U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer working on a variety of issues from healthcare, energy, transportation and civil rights. In addition, Charles also worked for U.S. Rep. Joe Baca of California working on special event planning and consitituent services. He has also worked on juvenile recidivism programs for the District of Columbia Deputy Mayor for Children, Youth, Families and Elders.

At Westin Rinehart, Mr. Small focuses on our government relations account teams and his clients include Eli Lily, TechAlt, Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco, Nielsen Media Research and the National Black MBA Associaton.

A native of Southern California, Mr. Small is an alumnus of Swarthmore College in Philadelphia and is an avid Iron Chef fan.